Which blinds look like shutters?

Many people love the look of plantation shutters, but find that their cost, permanence, footprint, or potential to block the light rather less desirable. So, which blinds look like shutters but without the downsides or inflated costs? White wooden blinds, followed closely by white faux-wood blinds.

This blog post will tell you more about which blinds look like shutters, plus some of the advantages of choosing blinds over shutters too.

Which blinds look like shutters, and why?

Plantation shutters are almost always white, and unlike most types of shutters, are fitted to the inside of the window rather than the outside. They have a lot in common visually with white wooden blinds (and in turn, white faux-wood blinds, which are almost indistinguishable from real wood), particularly if you choose your blinds with decorative ladder tapes and in larger slat widths like 50mm.

Plantation shutters versus blinds; why blinds have the edge

First up, plantation shutters of any type cost many times more per set to buy than even excellent quality made to measure wooden blinds, and more again than made to measure faux-wood blinds. It is fair to say then that plantation shutters will theoretically add more value to your property in reflection of this added investment; but that only holds true if any potential future buyer of your home is a fan of them too, and not everyone is!

Also, plantation shutters generally need to be measured for and fitted by a specialist professional due to their complexity, and they can’t be paired with say, another blind or pair of curtains on the window as they’re a permanent fixture that opens into the room.

The fact that shutters open into the room can be an issue in itself, as you then need to leave the windowsill clear and potentially, allow for an added margin where the shutters protrude into the room to accommodate for the footprint of the open shutter.

With blinds, you can measure up and fit them yourself, and they have a comparatively small footprint, as well as options for fitting them either inside of or outside of the window recess depending on your preference.

When open, white wooden blinds or white faux-wood blinds also have a smaller footprint and so, allow the maximum amount of light to enter the room, as the blind’s stack of slats only takes up a little room at the top of the blind.

Which blinds look like shutters but maximise the light to greatest effect?

Both wooden blinds and faux-wood blinds are the types of blinds most similar to shutters but without a correlating propensity to block some of the light. Shutters have a frame around all four sides, which means that they block more light overall.

I suggest that hanging wooden or faux-wood blinds over the window recess and so, allowing the open stack of slats to sit on the wall above the recess rather than occluding the glass at all, is the best way to maximise light.